Were You Scared?

Or did it make you steaming mad? Hint: It should have.

I was singing in the shower on my break October 4^th 2023 at about 12:18 pm when suddenly, my wireless device did a jig that I could hear over the sound of my screeching voice.  I peeked out behind the curtain to see a giant white message with a big red “triangle of fear” letting me know I had received an alert from the dictator (oops, I mean “president”) of America (don’t worry, it was just a “test”).   Considering I only use my wireless device for music, a few games with family, podcasts, to verify my identity to log in to some of my client’s systems (that conversation for another day), and do not have a cell phone plan or even keep a SIM card in my device, this “alert” only reminded me of just how far we have fallen in America.  And, it pissed me off.

I remember when I got the first “update” on my wireless device back in 2012.  I believe it was El Jefe Barrack Obama who signed an expansion of “FEMA” that forced wireless carriers to install an app on our devices (that we cannot shut off or disable) so that whoever the dictator (oops again, I meant “President”) is would have the ability to scare the bejesus out of us with one of their “alerts”.  The alert system works like a charm, doesn’t it?  And I am still pissed.

I have read lots of arguments from people who just love living in a state of fear asking, “why wouldn’t you want presidential alerts?”   What?  I really do not care what’s going on.  Mark my words, this test was to see if most of their system was finally in place and *will* be used for the next scary “virus.”  It will be used for “climate emergencies.”  It is going to be used to tell us what to do.  My biggest problem with the whole thing is… I cannot turn it off.  It should be our choice whether we want to know if a nuke just landed in NYC.  It should be our choice whether we want to know if an “outbreak” of something occurred somewhere.  Um… we lived for millennia without needing someone to “alert” us about things.  

If a nuke lands in a major city (or anywhere for that matter), what can I do about it by being “alerted”?  In fact, if most of the things that we are going to be “alerted” about happens, what are we going to do about it?  I would wager… pretty much *nothing*.   In the case of a nuke, what are we going to do?  Jump in our cars and drive somewhere with 300 million other people?  In the case of some ridiculous “outbreak” what will we do?  Rush out to get a new and improved “booster?”  And how about the coming “climate emergency” alerts? Will we choose not to breath that day to aim for that shiny goal of “Carbon Zero” that billionaires like Bill Gates “recommend” for everyone but themselves?

Being “alerted” of something by a giant, out of control, evil, maniacal, unethical, and murderous government should be our choice.  I do not trust these monsters.  I have seen what they’ve done over the last 3 plus years and they are not operating with our best interests at heart.  Not even a little bit.  So why would I want to march in lockstep with whatever instructions are given to me by some forced alert? 

There are some beneficial alerts that I do appreciate, like tornado and hurricane warnings.  If a bad storm is headed my way, it is nice to know about.  That is something I can actually (possibly) do something about.  But, even then, lots of people lived without a government agency telling them that there was “bad weather” just by sticking their heads out the door and looking at the clouds.  There are typically lots of signs when bad weather may affect us.

“Oh Rob D, you are just being overly sensitive.”

Maybe.  But do not forget that all of us woke up in 2020 with a nice new “Exposure Notification” app that was installed on our devices without our consent.  The app cannot be removed and has access to radios on our devices like Bluetooth and GPS (Oh, and the presidential “alert” app does too).  At least, for now, we can shut off the “Exposure Notifications.”

My argument is that almost all alerts on our devices are weapons of fear.  There are very few that are beneficial to us.   Most of these alerts are about things that do *not* affect us personally and only serve to keep us in a state of panic.  I cannot emphasize enough just how insane it is to live in a state of irrational fear.   Parents and families may find it useful to have “AMBER” alerts turned on but, even then, shouldn’t you know where your children are?  What are you going to do when you receive an AMBER alert about a child abduction 30 miles away?  Jump in your car and track down the abductor? 

I have found in life that, typically, if something is going to affect us personally, we *will* know about it.  Most of us know enough people who will make us aware of things that are happening in our area.  You know, the things that truly affect our lives.   Somehow, I have lived my life just fine only needing to know the things that are happening right outside my door.  I used this technique for “covid” as well.  All one had to do was look out their window to see that there were not people dying all over the place and there were *not* bodies piling up like cordwood.  I will use this same technique for all the future “emergencies” for the rest of my life. 

If you haven’t already, scour your mobile device and turn off *all* of the fear alerts that you can find (unless you enjoy them).  You will live a much more peaceful and happy life. 

“If a bear sticks its nose through your tent flap:  Be very afraid!  If a bear stuck its head through a camper’s tent flap 100 miles away, count your blessings it was not you and move on with your life!” Rob D